I am currently under a 2 year contract for my data card with Verizon and one thing that I like is that I can place my account on hold, at which time I stop being charged, and resume it at any time. Of course when I have my account on hold the months without service do not count towards my 2 year contract, but that is OK with me. This year I put it on hold in August and took it off in October when I chased an event down in Southern Arkansas/Northern Louisiana and then put it right back on hold when I got home and it remained on hold until like March.
OK, here's the skinny. At least for data cards--I have no idea about tethering your phone.
Tuesday, 4/6/10, I asked my wife to contact her business account rep about re-activating my Alltel PC5750 data card. We had dealt with her when she was with Alltel for 2008 & 2009. After my wife called a second time and sent her an email, she responded saying my Alltel data card would not work on the Verizon network (even though both of our Alltel cell phones work on the Verizon network) and that Verizon does not offer the month-to-month plan and I would have to sign at least a 1-year contract. BS.
So, Wednesday, I called Verizon customer service and spoke with Gerald. He said that my Alltel card WOULD work, but he had to transfer me to another dept (tech or tele sales--couldn't hear). I spoke with Max and he said my Alltel data card WOULD work, but had to speak with his boss. He came back on the line and said my Alltel card would NOT work, and that I had to buy a Verizon data card. BS. I explained to him what I do in my spare time and that I would be out the $189 I paid for the two-year-old Alltel card. He went back to his boss and returned saying they could give me the Verizon PC770 card for FREE, but that I would have to sign a two-year contract. I reminded him that I would need data for only four months or so and a full-time contract would be throwing money out the window. So, I asked if I could get some kind of credit applied towards the purchase of a Verizon card. He wasn't sure and he transferred my to customer sales(?) where I spoke with Nicole.
So, Max told her nothing, and I had to explain my storm chase usage again. She could offer me a new Verizon card for 49.99, but I had to sign a two-year contract. Again, I said that would be a waste of money for me as my usage would be for only four or five months. She then told me that I could suspend any line for up to six months. What? Why didn't our Alltel Business Affinity rep Katie, or Gerald or Max tell me this pertinent piece of information? She apologized up-and-down. She said there is a $15.00/quarter maintenance fee for the downtime. I told her to order me the Verizon card and she said it would be two to three weeks for delivery. I said I needed it sooner than that (thinking I would actually need it this coming week) and she said I could order it online and get the $49.99 price with a two-year contract and would have absolutely no problem suspending the data line in the fall and winter. I wish I had known about suspending the line when Max offered me a free card.
Also, if/when I suspend the data card line, that last two or three weeks (or whatever number of days between billing cycles) will be pro-rated.
I'll receive my new Verizon PC770 data card on Monday, 4/12/2010 for a price of $49.99. There is a one-time activation fee of $35.00. When I suspend the data line there will be a $15.00/quarter maintenance fee. And, as previously mentioned, it will extend the length of the contract (which matters little to me, as long as I can suspend). I purchased the $59.99/5GB/month plan. There is a cheaper plan for 39.99, but it has a 250MB cap. And, there are three prepaid plans. I could have chosen any plan with the outright purchase of the Verizon data card. Here is the card I purchased:
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/...t&action=viewPhoneDetail&selectedPhoneId=4886
I'm not sure if you need an account to access this page. On the right side of the page is a drop-down box allowing one to choose the contract length. You can pick 2yr, 1yr, or month-to-month. The price will vary wildly as they want you locked into a two-year plan. Whichever rep told you (Skip) that these plans didn't exist was full of BS.
After all of this, I still believe that my Alltel data card would work. Albeit with a firmware flash, I presume. Although, this might not be necessary as Verizon used to sell the same UTStarcom 5750 PCMCIA card. So, I assume that Verizon: 1) doesn't want to deal with customers bricking their Alltel data cards (maybe), and 2) really wants to sell you a new data card, and 3) really wants to lock you into a long-term contract. That's good for growing their business, but that's not great customer service for all of the Alltel customers that didn't asked to be "bought out."
Also, if you've purchased an amp from Maximum Signal or elsewhere, check to see if you'll need a new antenna adapter. I did at this link:
https://www.maximumsignal.net/store/product.php?productid=16197&cat=3&page=1
So, let's review:
Katie (Alltel Business Affinity rep): uninterested, uninformed and/or a DA
Gerald: polite and helpful
Max: polite and helpful
Max's boss: salesman
Nicole: polite, but condescending, and a salesman
Verizon is growing their business, but they need to do it at their expense, not at the expense of current and "new" customers. They need to get all of their customer-interface employees on the same page. Isn't it amazing how some companies survive in spite of themselves...
Regards,
Geo
Edit: I called CS again today, 4/11/10, and again asked why my Alltel data card would not work. I had asked her first why my Alltel UTStarcom PC5750 would not work even though Verizon sold the UTStarcom PC5750. She couldn't give me an answer about the programming or other technical aspects, but this was her final answer: If I had not de-activated my data card line last September and kept it alive during conversion, my "plan" would have been grandfathered like our two Alltel phones last November 2009. BS. How chincy is that on the part of Verizon?
